Speaker System Beefs Up Sound At Shoreditch Steak Restaurant
HIX at the Tramshed Shoreditch, is the latest venture from restaurateur, chef and avid art collector, Mark Hix. The Grade II listed building at 32 Rivington Street was originally built in 1905 to house the electricity generating station for the local tramway.
The newly transformed 150-seat restaurant was launched in May 2012, showcasing a menu of marbled Himalayan steak and free-range chicken. The restaurant has three distinct dining spaces, the main floor, the Mini Marks Cocktail Bar, which serves drinks and bar food all day and the Marks Kitchen Library at Mezzanine level containing Hix extensive and unique cookbook collection.
A huge sculpture, entitled “Cock and Bull” by renowned artist, Damien Hirst, is suspended 4 metres above the tables below. The Tramshed-defining motif is housed in the instantly recognisable glass and formaldehyde, set off by the restaurant’s glazed tile interior and original steel pitched roof.
Further artworks, which can be viewed in the downstairs CNB Gallery, are from other leading British artists including, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Tim Noble & Sue Webster.
Speaker bracketing could not be directly fixed
Eighteen months after launch, Sound Division was asked to specify a music system for this special space. Having undertaken the installation at the Soho branch in Brewer St, it was a natural choice for the restaurant group to turn to Sound Division, who would also install a system at HIX Liverpool Street.
There were several challenges to overcome. As a listed building, speaker bracketing could not be directly fixed to any part of the wall or ceiling. Secondly, the risk of significant vibration throughout the cavernous space demanded careful positioning of each individual loudspeaker. Finally, the restaurant was open seven days a week, from early morning and with a late licence to 12.30am.
Following a series of sound tests, ten compact Martin Audio AQ6’s were specified, which were positioned at an optimum height of 3 metres to reduce potential reverberation. To comply with listed building status, special girder brackets were used, which self-secure under pressure between the prominent steel girder H struts, to which the speakers are attached. The audio hardware, consisting of Crown amplifier and a four zone Cloud venue mixer, is secured back of house.
A team of four completed the installation overnight by 8.00am. In good time to ensure music content supplied by 8 Track Music Solutions was up and running to greet the lunchtime crowd.
HIX Tramshed is firmly established as the premier east London venue for meat lovers looking for the exceptional in carnivore dishes and poultry preparation.
December 2013